Tiger Cruise
by Justicerocks
Summary: Eight year old's Antonio, Rafael and Stella go onboard an Aircraft Carrier for a weekend. One-shot pre story piece for "First Daughter"


**A\N 1:** This one-shot is in the same world as my story "First Daughter" it's a pre-story one-shot.

 **A\N: 2:** The United States Navy does have real Tiger Cruise's. I did some research for this one-shot and tried to make it as accurate as I could, sorry if I made any mistakes.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

 **Spoilers:** None

 **Warnings** **:** None

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 **Tiger Cruise**

Eight-year-old Antonio looked up at the Aircraft Carrier in awe. He couldn't believe he'd be spending the entire weekend on one, and with his best friend too. His uncle was Captain of the Abraham Lincoln and he and his cousins and best friends Rafael and Stella were going to go on the ship for a weekend on a Tiger Cruise.

"Come on Papa!" Antonio tugged on his father's hand. "Rafael said there's a lot to do and its already 0900!" He pouted. "I bet Rafael and Stella have been here forever!" He complained.

"Relax Antonio," Eduardo shook his head at his son's excitement, "Registration starts at nine and I'm sure Tio Andrew had a lot of things to do so Rafael and Stella were probably with their mother. Why don't we get you signed in and then we can go and find them." He suggested.

"Yes Sir," Antonio nodded his head as they waited in line. Antonio looking up at the ship the entire time; he had another Uncle who was in the Navy so he had other cousins that had been on Tiger Cruise's as well and he'd wanted to go on one for a long time. He was so happy that now he was finally going to go on one, and for an entire weakened as well.

"Now you listen to me Antonio," Eduardo looked at his son sternly, "This weekend is supposed to be fun but there will be lots of rules and drills. Remember you'll be seeing that the Navy is like, so you listen to the officers and even the enlisted personal. When they tell you to do something you say 'yes sir' and I don't want to hear that you and Rafael caused any trouble. If you do something like that you won't be going on another Tiger Cruise. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir." Antonio stood at attention and saluted.

"Well I see someone's all ready for the Navy," The Ensign who was checking everyone in smiled as Antonio and his father made it to the front of the line, "I just need your last name please Sir," He requested looking at Eduardo.

"Dawson."

"Antonio Dawson?" The Ensign saw he had three on his list but two were already highlighted and marked as being checked in. Eduardo nodded in conformation and the Ensign highlighted the name and handed Antonio a hat with the ships name on it.

"Go on aboard," He smiled, "Just tell the special affairs officer who you are and he'll get you all set up.

Antonio smiled and ran up the stairs to the ship and almost crashed into a man standing in his way. "Hey! Hey!" The man stopped Antonio, "Where are your parents?" He asked before seeing Eduardo come.

"My names Antonio!" Antonio grinned, "Where's the Captain's Quarters?" He wondered. "My Uncle said I could meet him there."

The man chuckled a little, "Sorry Son, tomorrow we're running tours, but right now you and your father can go out to the hanger. That's where all of our guests are gathering."

Antonio frowned and was about to say something when Eduardo spoke up, "My brother, Andrew Dawson is the Captain of the ship. He said I could drop my son off with him. Are you on Watch?" He inquired.

"Yes Sir," The man nodded, "I've received special instructions that you're to be escorted. Johnson!" He called over a younger man who hurried over.

"Yes Sir!"

"This is Captain Dawson's brothers and nephew. Take them up right away."

"Yes Sir!" He nodded and then turned to Eduardo and Antonio, "Follow me."

Antonio tried his best to understand what Jonson was saying as he explained how to navigate a ship. He walked into the Captain's quarters where the ship was steered. Rafael got off a chair and ran to his cousin.

"Rafael!" Antonio happily hugged him as he looked around, most eyes were on him, and he didn't really know why "Tio Andrew," He ran and hugged his uncle's legs.

Andrew briefly lifted Antonio up and sat him on the chair Rafael was sitting in, "You want to know what all of these buttons are for?" He asked.

"Yes Sir," Antonio nodded excitedly. Andrew grinned and ruffled his hair as he turned to his brother.

"I told him that he better behave himself," Eduardo informed his brother, "And that he and Rafael better not get into any trouble." Although they were best friends and got along great, when they were together Antonio and Rafael could cause lots of trouble together. "Where's Stella?" He asked of his niece.

"She wanted to go an join the games down in the hanger so I had her go with my XO's wife and daughter."

"What's an XO?" Antonio wanted to know,

"It's Dad's second in command," Rafael explained. "Did you see the TomCat's? We can sit in one, one just like Tio Hector flies," Rafael informed his cousin, "We can go now if you want."

"Hold on boys," Andrew halted them, "I'm going to be busy for awhile and Antonio's father needs to get back to Springfield. You can go join Stella and sit in a TomCat."

"I get to sit in one first!" Rafael began racing out of the room.

"¡Rafael Xavier Dawson! ¡No correrás en mi nave! ¿Está claro? Si veo o escucho a cualquiera de ustedes actuando, estarán confinados a sus habitaciones durante el fin de semana." Andrew yelled at them in Spanish as if they were actually in the Navy. Both boys stopped and turned around.

"Aye, Aye Sir!" Rafael responded.

"What about you Antonio? Do you understand you cannot be running around or acting silly?" Andrew asked his nephew.

"Yes Sir!" Antonio responded.

"Good, dismissed," He turned back to his work.

"Come on boys I'll take you to meet up with Stella," Eduardo led them out of the room and back through the boat. He'd grown up on ships so he could easily navigate.

"Dad." Antonio looked at his father, "If Abuelo was in the Navy and Tio Andrew and Tio Hector are in the Navy why di you join the Marines?" He'd been waiting to ask that for a long time. "And how come you only did one tour?"

Eduardo knew his son would be asked that question some day, and he wasn't surprised it was today. When he'd joined the Marines instead of the Navy his father was at first a little disappointed as their family had a long history of its men, especially the oldest son joining the Navy. Months on a boat didn't suit well with him though, he wanted something faster paced so he joined the Marines and was eventually on their black ops team.

"I respect the Navy Antonio," He began, "You may hear the sailors make jokes about he Marines but its all in good fun, just friendly competitions." He knew sometimes that wasn't true but the last thing he wanted was for his son to get angry with the first sailor that he heard saying something bad about the Marines, "But it just wasn't for me. I wanted to serve my country in a different way. It's important to serve your country, but there are so many ways you can do that."

"I think I'm going to go into the Marines," Antonio told him, "And maybe then I can do what you did. Black ops missions sound cool. They're classified.

"Well being a Marine is a lot of work Antonio and it's hard. You know I had friends that died."

"Yeah because you have a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart," Antonio didn't know much of the details of this father's missions but he knew he was a hero, that's what he wanted to be.

"But I'd trade in those to have my friends back. Being a hero isn't' about awards, its about helping people, you both remember that boys."

Antonio and Rafael nodded and walked into the hanger where the TomCats were kept. The Aviators were standing near their planes as lines of kids waited to sit in them.

"Dad forger about Stella lets go in the plane!" Antonio cheered.

"She's probably having her face painted or something stupid," Rafael rolled his eyes at his twin sister.

"We'll find her and then you both can sit in a TomCat. I'll get some pictures and then I'll leave. I need to get back to Springfield."

"I wish you could stay Dad," Antonio expressed his disappointed. Ever since his father was elected Governor of Illinois he seemed to have less time to be around him. That was one of the reasons Antonio was glad he was an only child, less people to spilt his father's attention with.

"I know buddy," Eduardo very much valued his time with his family and he hated how it had been so limited lately, "I promise as soon as I can I'll make it up to you."

"Can we spend all day at the gym?" Antonio asked. He loved going to the gym and practicing his boxing. He especially loved it when everyone was amazed at how good he was.

"Yes we can do that." Eduardo should have guessed that would be what his son wanted to do. "Now, lets go an find Stella," Eduardo led the boys away and began looking around. The hanger as rather large and there was close to a hundred people onboard. He was looking for someone in a Navy uniform to ask for help when they saw Stella. Her curly brown hair in two pigtails. She was frowning as she walked.

"Stella," Eduardo walked up to her, "Sweetheart what's wrong?"

"Why did it take so long for women to be allowed on ships? It's not fair! Women are better then men."

That was a complicated question and although he knew his niece was very smart it wasn't something she wouldn't understand. There wasn't a straight answer to her question and it was something even he wasn't sure he was sure about. The entire thing has been so new.

"Mrs. Augusta told me that women weren't even allowed on ships until 1978! That was only three years ago! I was seven!" She went on, "Men are really mean sometimes!"

"There will be lots of women on these ships before long," Eduardo told her, "In the meantime do you want to sit in a TomCat with your brother and cousin?" He tried to change the subject.

"Fine!" She sighed, "But when I'm older I'm going to make sure men aren't mean too woman!" She declared. "I'm going to be a Senator or maybe even President and I'll make all kinds of laws.

"I'm going to be a Navy Aviator and maybe work in Government," Rafael spoke next.

"I want to go into the Marines and be just like Dad," Antonio looked up at his father."

Eduardo couldn't be more proud and touched that his son wanted be like him but he didn't want to put to much pressure on him. He wanted Antonio to do what he wanted to do.

 **THE END**

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 **A\N:** Please review and let me know what you thought.


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